Cooling or refrigerating apparatus



S. B. OLEMMENS. 000mm 0R REPRIGERATING APPARATUS.

I (No Model.)

! No. 449,615. Patented Marr31, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. OLEMMENS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OIIIO.

COOLING OR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,615, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed May 12, 1890. Serial No. 351,549. No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. CLEMMENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling or Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying'drawings.

This invention relates to acooling or refrigerating apparatus.

The invention consists, essentially, of fans or blast-producing apparatus suitably incased together, with one or more coolingchambers, against which the air-blasts are directed, and after contact with which the aircurrents are conducted either into a room or into a refrigerator. These cooling-chambers are provided with a composition which when agitated produces cooling effects.

The invention is intended for cooling rooms or living-apartments, as also for refrigerating purposes, in connection with any suitable refrigerator in which edibles may be placed and kept in a state of preservation by reducing the temperature through the medium of the cold-air currents produced by this apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and 011 which like reference-letters indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of myapparatus. Fig. 2 also represents a side elevation looking from the opposite side; Fi 3, a vertical sectional view of the same, as also of a refrigerator in connection therewith; Fig.

4, an end elevation of a portion of the appa.

ratus and refrigerator, showing a connectingconduit; Fig. 5, a cross-sectional view of a portion of the apparatus on the line as as of Fig. 2, showing one of the coolingchambers in elevation and one in section and illustrating the operatinggearing; Fig. 6, a detail crosssection of a modified form of coolingchamber.

The letter A designates a casing or housing constructed of wood or metal, or wood lined with metal, or of other material, and in any desired manner. The structure has two sides, two ends, a bottom, and a removable cover B. The walls of the cover are preferably double with a space between, which may or may not be filled with some non-conducting material. The side and end walls are also double, as seen at O and D, with a space between them, and which may or may not be filled with some nonconducting material. Fancases E are constructed or placed within the casing with their nozzles F pointing toward each other. mounted within these fan-cases upon a horizontal shaft H, mounted in bearings at the sides of the casing A. These shafts carry each a pulley I, connected, respectively, by a straight belt J and a twisted belt K with a driving-pulley L, mounted on the transverse driving-shaft M, having bearings in the casing A. Motion is applied to the shaft M by belting to a pulley O on the opposite end thereof to the pulley L. This driving-pulley may be operated by an electric motor, a watermotor, a line-shaft driven by a steam-engine, or by any other means, according to convenience. In restaurants, hotels, or meat-refrigerating houses some one of these means of power is generally found, or, if preferred for domestic purposes, a crank P maybe'employed to drive the shaft M. An air-opening Q is m ade in'the casing A and leads into the fan-casing E to supply the influx of air. A similar opening R, leading from the other fan-casing and out of the casing A, connects by a conduit S with the refrigerator. By this means the air which enters the refrigerator is conducted out of it back to the blast apparatus, which has the advantage of using the same air over and over again, which being cold enables a lower temperature to be reached than if fresh warm air were taken in and the cold air from the refrigerator discharged into the open air; In order to compensate for the leakage of air, the orifice Q is generally kept open. I have shown, however, by the dotted lines at T a discharge-opening for the air from the refrigerator, which may or may not be closed, according to circumstances. The opening in the refrigerator where the conduit S connects will also form a discharge-orifice should the pipe be removed. A short conduit U connects the cooling apparatus with the refrigerator.

Referring now to the means of reducing the temperature other than .the rapid motion.v

Suitable rotary fans G are- ICO given to the air-drafts by the fans, the letters l V and IV designate three metallic cylindrical chambers placed transversely in the casing A and mounted upon shafts X, also having bearings in the casing r These shafts are rotated so as to rotate the chambers by means of a gear-wheel Z, carried by each shaft and meshing with a pinion Y on the driving-shaft M. Thus rotary motion is given to the three cooling-chambers. In Fig. 6 I have shown a modification of the chamber, consisting of providing it with inwardly-projecting wings or flanges a, which serve to carry the contained liquid up and agitate the same. Any cooling composition may be employed; but I prefer a composition composed of one pound of salt, one ounce of United States potassium niter, one-half ounce of aqua-ammonia, and one quart of water. Different proportions may be used; but these are found to give good practical results. Different compositions and different materials may also be used, as cooling-fluids are well known. The composition stated, with a speed of about one hundred and eighty revolutions per minute of the fans and of about ten revolutions per minute of the cooling-chambers, will reduce the air-currents from 50 to 40 Fahrenheit.

An apparatus has been built and operated with about the proportions of the pulleys and gears as that shown, in which the fan-blowers rotate at about the rate of one hundred and eighty revolutions to ten of the cooling-chambers, and satisfactory results have been obtained from such apparatus.

The cooling-chambers are by preference made of thin sheet metal, so that the eifects of their cooling contents are readily conducted to the surface, so as to be taken up by the air-currents. An example of a refrigerator is shown, the same consisting of double top and sidewalls b and c,with a dead-airspace bet ween them, and of a third wall (1. Between the latter walls and the side walls of the refrigerator air-passages are formed, through which the currents descending down through the refrigerator pass to their point of escape. Suitable trays or racks c are mounted in the refrigerator, upon which edibles are to be placed. Thus the downward cold drafts are employed with an upward and return escape.

\Vhen cooling the air in rooms, the air is allowed to escape from the casing-A at one or both ends. The dotted lines shown at f designate the discharge openings or conduits for this purpose. Clock-work orgravity-weights might be employed as operating means to give motion to the fans and cooling-chambers. It is preferred to keep the coolingchambers in motion-a rotary motion, for instance-though it should be understood that this is not indispensable, since they may be allowed to stand in a state of rest. Openings g, having caps, as shown in Fig. 5, are used to pour the cooling-fluid into and to remove it from the chambers.

In applying the apparatus to cooling apart= ments it might be placed in a window and the warm air drawn into one of the fan-casings, as through the opening Q, and discharged into the room through the opening f at the other end of the casing.

I wish to be understood as laying claim to an apparatus having a mode of operation involving the creation of air-currents, the application of such currents to cooling-surfaces, and directing them into a refrigerator or apartment of a dwelling or other place the temperature of which it is desired to lower.

Openings h, having doors 2', (see Figs. 2 and 5,) give access to the openings g in the cooli ng-chambers, so as to pour in and draw off the cooling-liquid into and from the upper chamber. A similar provision will be made for the other chambers.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cooling apparatus, the combination, with the casing, of separate blast produc ing mechanisms mounted within the said casing, conduits for conducting the blasts, cooling chambers arranged to deflect said blasts and adapted to contain a cold-producing substance and having a capped opening in each chamber adapted to communicate with the outside of the said case through suit able openings therein normally closed,where by access may be had to each chamber to al low of filling and emptying the same, and suitable air inlet and outlet openings in said case for said air-blasts.

2. In a cooling apparatus, the combination, with a casing, of fan-blowers mounted in the upper portion of each end and having each a conduit leading toward the center of the casing, a plurality of rotatable cylindrical metallic cooling-chambers adapted to contain a cold-producing substance and located one between said conduits and the others beneath and all arranged to oppose said currents, and suitable inlet and outlet openings.

3. In a cooling apparatus, the combination, with the casing, of a driving-shaft mounted therein, a fan-blower also mounted near the upper part of either end and belted to said shaft, a plurality of shafts geared to said driving-shafts and each carrying a metallic cylindrical cooling-chamber adapted to contain a cold-producing substance, conduits leading from said fans to one of the chambers, and suitable inlet and outlet openings.

4:. In a cooling apparatus, the combination, with the casing, a fan-blower near the upper portion of each end, a conduit leading from each fan-blower, and a plurality of revoluble metallic cooling-chambers adapted to contain a cooling substance and to which said conduits lead, whereby the disposition of the cooling-chambers causes them to oppose the air-blasts, of a refrigeratorupon which the casing is mounted, a communication between ICC the casing in proximity to the cooling-cham- In testimony whereofI affix my signature in hers and the upper part of the refrigerator, presence of two Witnesses. air-conduits in the refrigerator, exits near the upper ends of said conduits, and a pipe lead- SAMUEL B. CLEMMENS. 5 ing from one of said exits to one of said. fan- WVitnesses:

blower casings, substantially as shown and WARREN HULL,

described. JOSHUA SooTT. 

